is, let's do the fiscal cliff and the good news. and it's not very much. but at least the two sides are talking, by phone. not face to face. house speaker john boehner and the president are hoping to break the fiscal cliff ice. now we're just mixing metaphors, left and right. speaking on the phone, 26 days left, of course, until we tumble over the cliff or slide down the slope or fall off the precipice or however you want to put it. we could, of course, face massive tax hikes, spending cuts. that's what the fiscal cliff is all about. it would all start with the start of the new year. i want to get to senator jeff merkley. he's a democrat from the state of oregon. he's on both the budget committee and the banking, housing, and urban affairs committee. nice to have you with us, sir. thanks for joining us. >> you're welcome. >> thank you. before we get to fiscal cliff, let's talk a little bit about syria. there are now reports that they may be loading the components that would make up sarin gas. and i'm curious to know and i think a lo